The Playhouse

The Playhouse sits bang in the middle of Bushmills, a proper working theatre that actually stages shows rather than sitting empty half the year. It's a proper community venue, the kind of place where local drama groups share the bill with touring productions and the occasional music night. Inside it's all red velvet seats and that slightly worn charm that comes from decades of audiences shuffling in and out.

Theatre enthusiasts will find something worth timing a visit around - check what's on before you arrive because the programme shifts. It's not a sprawling West End operation, which is partly the point. Families with older kids will get more from an actual production than a tour of an empty theatre, though the staff are usually chatty enough to explain how things work if you pop in during the day.

If you're stopping in Bushmills anyway - and you likely are, given the whiskey distillery and the Giant's Causeway nearby - The Playhouse gives you a reason to spend an evening in town rather than rushing back to your accommodation. Causeway Country Pods sits just four miles away, making it an easy base for exploring the whole Causeway Coast area. Check opening times and what's showing before you visit; a quiet matinee isn't guaranteed.